METEOR ALERT!! THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER PEAKS THIS MONDAY-TUESDAY!!! – 21/10/2025 - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER!!! 💖🌒🌠☄️✨
A QUICK SUMMARY OF THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER
- Parent Body: Comet 1P/Hally, Halley’s Comet
- Radiant Constellation: Orion
- Shower activity between: 1st October – 7th November
- Peak activity: 20th – 21st October
- Peak meteor count: around 20-25 meteors per hour in perfect conditions
- Best time/date to observe: early morning of 21st October
The Orionid meteor shower is one of the astronomical highlights of the season of Autumn and is one of the most highly anticipated meteor showers of the year.
FORTUNATELY, this year will be an excellent year to observe the Orionid meteor shower due to the peak coinciding with this October’s new moon. This means that the Moon will not be in our night skies, and not creating any natural light pollution. And so conditions (cloud conditions aside) will be excellent for viewing meteors in the night sky.
Not only this, the new moon plus the peak of the Orionid meteor shower also coincide with the closest approach of two bright comets! Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon and comet C/2025 R2 SWAN will be appearing at their best during the most active period of the Orionid meteor shower and so if the skies are clear, we could be in for a spectacular few nights of celestial treats!
All in all, it’s a great time to spot meteors and well worth spending an hour or two out stargazing, meteor watching and comet spotting on these beautiful autumn nights.
If you would like to learn more about the two special comets A6 Lemmon and R2 SWAN, please read our separate comprehensive comet post.
If you would like more detailed information on the Orionid meteor shower and meteors in general, including what meteors are, where they come from, what you need to know about to maximise your chances of viewing meteors, plus our personal recommendations for when and where to look, please read on…
THE ORIONID METEOR SHOWER
The Orionid Meteor Shower is so named because the radiant point from which its meteors appear to radiate from is located within the constellation of Orion – the hunter.
The Orionid meteor shower occurs every October to November when the planet Earth passes through a cloud of debris left behind by comet 1P/Halley. This year the shower is active between the 1st of October to the 7th of November and peaks on the evenings of the 20th and 21st of October.
This annual, autumnal meteor shower is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year, known for lighting up dark skies with bright, fast meteors that can leave long-lingering, persistent ionised gas trails for multiple seconds. At its peak this shower is projected to produce up to 25 meteors an hour under clear, dark skies.
The Orionids are also known for producing fireballs, which are exceptionally bright meteors (brighter than Venus) that blaze across the night sky amazing all those that witness them. These fireballs are so bright that they can even be visible in light-polluted areas such as cities.
The Orionid meteors are typically travelling at 41 miles per second, and they enter the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of roughly 148,000 miles per hour!
WHERE DO METEORS COME FROM? / PARENT BODY – COMET 1P/HALLEY
Most meteor showers are caused by comet debris that crosses Earth’s orbit, however some showers are caused by asteroid debris.
The Orionid meteor shower is caused by the trail of debris left by the famous comet 1P/Halley, more commonly known as Halley's Comet. When we watch the Orionids streak across the sky, what we are actually witnessing is fragments from Comet Halley’s trail burning up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere.
Like all comets, 1P/Halley is a ball of dust, ice, rock and dark organic material. Halley’s comet however stands out as one of the most important astronomical/scientific discoveries in history.
Comet Halley has visited our inner solar system many times in the past and many sightings of the comet have been recorded by astronomers throughout human history. It is thought that records of sightings of comet Halley go as far back as 240BC when the comet was observed by ancient Chinese astronomers. However, it wasn’t known that many of these sighting were actually of the same object orbiting the sun until a very clever scientist, mathematician and astronomer observed and studied the comet in 1682.
Comet 1P/Halley was observed in 1682 by the famous British intellectual Edmond Halley. Halley studied records about comet sightings throughout history and came to the conclusion that many of these sightings were all of the same object that orbited the Sun at a regular interval. Using calculations that he made from all the previous records of these comet sightings, Halley predicted the comet would re-appear in 1758, and he was proven correct! This was the first comet to have been discovered to have a short orbital period, hence it’s designation 1P and the comet was named after Halley who discovered its periodic nature.
Comet Halley takes 75-76 years to orbit the sun (its orbital period), it last visited the central solar system in 1986 and will return again 2061.
An interesting fact about the parent comet Halley is that the Orionid meteor shower is one of two meteor showers created by debris from this same comet. The other shower is the Eta Aquarid meteor shower which graces our skies in May.
WHAT CAUSES THE LIGHT FROM METEORS?
As a comet or asteroid travels through space, it leaves a trail of dust and debris behind it. When Earth intersects these trails, we slam into the dust and debris in their wake. The debris then enters the Earth’s atmosphere at incredibly high speed, generating immense amounts of frictional energy that is released in the form of intense heat and light. Meteors tend to vary from the size of a sand grain to about as big as a pea. The bigger the piece of debris, the bigger and brighter the meteor.
When a meteoroid particle strikes the upper atmosphere at high speed, it heats up to around 1,650°C and starts to glow. The meteoroid also compresses and heats the air in front of it, exciting atoms like oxygen which in turn radiate light. Together, the two processes produce the bright, needle-like flashes known as meteors or "shooting stars."
Occasionally, a meteoroid may be large enough to survive its fiery journey through our atmosphere, landing somewhere on Earth. When a meteoroid manages to land on our planet, it becomes known as a meteorite.
METEOR COLOURS ❤️💙💜🧡💛☄️
When meteoroids burn up in our atmosphere, they can sometimes create beautifully colourful trails behind them. The colours that meteors display are partly caused by the presence of traces of elements such as sodium, iron and calcium, the same elements that are used to make fireworks colourful.
These elements become ionised as they travel through Earth’s atmosphere and emit a beautiful range of different coloured meteor trails as their particles burn up in the atmosphere. The colours that are emitted depend on the elements being excited.
Here are the colours associated with different elements found in meteors: 👇
🟠 Orange-yellow — sodium;
🟡 Yellow — iron;
🔵 Blue-green — magnesium;
🟣 Violet — calcium;
🔴 Red — atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen.
The speed at which the meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere can also affect the colour. The faster a meteor moves, the more intense it’s colour may appear.
FIREBALL METEORS
On rare occasions, when a meteoroid is large enough, it is possible to view extremely bright meteors which are known as “Fireballs”. A meteor is called a fireball when it reaches a magnitude (brightness) equal to or brighter than that of the planet Venus. Venus is about -4 in magnitude, a meteor must be brighter than this to be known as a fireball. These fireballs are so bright that they can easily be seen in heavily light-polluted areas such as cities.
On very rare occasions, it is possible to view meteors that explode and separate into several pieces in the sky. We have been treated to sights of a couple of these at the public stargazing events that we run in Dalby Forest. These explosive meteors are known as “bolides” and can outshine the bright full moon. They are an incredible sight to witness.
WHAT TO CONSIDER TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN SEE METEORS
In order to maximise your chances of viewing meteors from a meteor shower it helps to consider a few things.
The main thing you need to consider when looking for meteors from a meteor shower is the date/s when the Earth travels it’s furthest into the trail of debris left by the parent comet or asteroid. Around this period of time there will be a higher number of meteoroids entering the Earth’s atmosphere, this is the peak of the meteor shower.
The next most important thing to consider for many showers is the time that the radiant for the meteor shower will be high in the sky. The higher the radiant is in your visible sky, the higher your chances of viewing meteors will be. However, sometimes the radiant for a shower may not be at its highest point in the sky when the skies are dark.
You must also take the brightness of the skies into account along with the radiant’s location in order to maximise your chances of viewing meteors.
There are also other factors such as the Earth weather, the conditions of your viewing location and the Moon’s position and phase that will affect how easy it is to view meteors and need to be considered.
WHEN IS THE PEAK / THE BEST NIGHT TO WATCH?
This year the Orionid meteor shower is active between the 1st October – 7th November.
The exact peak (when the Earth travels furthest into the trail of comet 1P/Halley) will be around midday on the 21st of October. This means that both nights of the 20th and 21st of October will be when the meteor shower will be most active. However, more specifically the early morning hours of the 21st and the early evening hours of the 21st will be when this year’s Orionid meteor shower will show the most activity. Even more specifically, the early morning of the 21st will be best for observing due to the radiant for the meteor shower being higher in the sky during the period of time where the Earth will be at it’s furthest within the trail of debris from comet Halley .
And so, in short, the early morning of the 21st will be the best time to observe this year’s Orionid meteor shower.
WHERE TO LOOK / THE RADIANT
To help you know where is best to look for meteors it helps to understand a little about meteor shower radiants.
Meteors from a specific meteor shower will appear to originate from a specific area of the sky which is known as the “radiant”.
The radiant for the Orionid meteor shower can be located in the constellation of Orion – the hunter.
The constellation of Orion can be found below the constellation of Taurus the bull and to the right of the constellation of Gemini the twins. However, probably the easiest way to recognise the constellation of Orion is to look for an “almost” perfectly straight line of three bright stars (Orion’s belt) that is placed directly in between a bright orange star (Betelgeuse) and a bright white/blue star (Rigel).
More specifically, during the peak the radiant for the Orionids is located roughly half way in between the bright orange star Betelgeuse and the two bright stars of Gemini – Pollux and Castor.
You don’t really need to know exactly where the meteors radiate from because meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. However, knowing where the radiant is may help you increase your chances of viewing meteors if you follow this top tip:
Top Tip! - If you can locate the radiant, try looking at a dark part of the sky around 45 degrees away from the radiant to maximise your chances of viewing meteors. This area of the sky tends to be the easiest area to spot meteors. Meteors seen closer to the radiant will appear shorter / leave shorter trails compared to others further away from the radiant.
Cool Fact! - You can tell if a meteor belongs to a specific shower by tracing a line backwards from the direction it appeared to travel in across the sky. If this line leads you close to a meteor shower’s radiant location, you can safely bet that meteor belonged to that specific meteor shower.
WHAT TIME TO LOOK / RADIANT CONTINUED
Although it can help knowing the exact location of the radiant, the main thing you need to know about a meteor shower radiant is that it has risen above the horizon. Once the radiant has risen in the sky there will be a higher chance of seeing meteors, and the higher the radiant has risen, the more meteors will be visible.
With many meteor showers (the Moon aside) the best time to head out and watch meteor showers is usually on the peak night between midnight and dawn, when the radiant is (usually) high in the sky and the skies are darkest. Don’t worry if you can’t head out this late, there should still be plenty of meteors about earlier in the night.
On the night of the 20th of October, the radiant for the Orionid meteor shower will rise above the North-Eastern horizon at roughy 21:42 BST. From here the radiant will climb higher in the sky travelling towards the South where it will reach its highest point in the sky, 51 degrees high at roughly 05:22 BST on the morning of the 21st. This should technically be the best time for observing meteors. From here the radiant will begin descending travelling towards the West and will disappear in the morning twilight.
On the nights either side of the 20th, the radiant will rise and reach its highest in the sky towards the South at approximately the same times as above.
If you head out early in the night, you might also be treated to something called an “Earth grazer” meteor (long, slow, colourful meteors that skim across the edge of our atmosphere).
WHERE TO VIEW FROM / VIEWING LOCATION
The location that you do your stargazing from can make a big difference to the number of stars and in this case shooting stars that are possible to see in the night sky. The less light there is around your viewing location, the more your eyes will adapt to the darkness, the darker the skies will be and the more of the fainter meteors from a shower will be visible.
Ideally for meteor showers and generally enjoying the night sky, you want to find a safe dark location, with clear views of the sky, and as far away from sources of light such as street lights as possible.
DARK ADAPTATION / NIGHT VISION
When out meteor watching, in order to view as many meteors as possible it can help to allow your eyes become adapted to seeing faint objects in the sky.
Try not to look at sources of light such as your mobile phone or the Moon for around 15 minutes or so, this will allow your eyes become dark adapted. After around 15-30 minutes of letting your eyes adapt to the dark, the pupils of your eyes will dilate to their maximum aperture and the receptors in your eyes that are responsible for low light vision will become fully activated. This will allow your eyes to gather more light and more fainter night sky objects will be easier to see.
If you need to use a torch to light your way, we recommend using a torch that emits only red light. Red light has much less of an effect on your night vision compared to white light.
If you want to use your phone, use it on its lowest brightness and you can always cover the screen with a red film to minimise its effect on your night vision. Star map/planetarium apps such as Stellarium often have a night mode that displays only in red light which can also help you keep your night vision.
Another tip to help you see more on nights with a bright moon or a light nearby to your viewing location is to keep the moon or source of light out of sight. If you have a large tree or building nearby to your location, try blocking the moon or any sources of light from your line of sight with the tree/building. This can help stop a bright moon or lights from ruining your dark adapted night vision.
THE MOON / DARK SKIES
Sometimes the glow of the Moon can interfere with a meteor shower and spoil meteor shower views by lighting up the night sky and washing out the fainter meteors. When the Moon is bright it leaves only the brightest of meteors visible.
Fortunately for this year’s peak of the Orionid meteor shower, the Moon will be in its new phase. This means the Moon will not be in the skies at all, leaving the skies perfectly dark (local light pollution aside) and all of the Orionid meteors bright and faint should be visible.
ASTRO DOGS RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW BEST TO SEE THE ORIONIDS
Following the advice above will help you maximise your chances of seeing meteors. But if you want our personal recommendations for this year’s Orionids:
- Technically speaking, the early morning hours of the 21st around 05:20 BST will be the time to see meteors as this will be when the radiant for the shower will be at its highest, and Earth will be nearest its furthest point within the stream of debris from comet Halley whilst the skies are still dark. However, don’t worry if you can’t get out at this time, you will still be able to see plenty of meteors earlier in the night and it will still definitely be worth heading out on the nights either side of the peak too.
- If you are only able to head out earlier in the evening, the night of the 21st will be the best time to head out.
- If you can, try find a nice safe location away from the light pollution of towns/cities with clear views of most of the sky and with no lights nearby. Also, another tip is try to find a location with as little light pollution as possible in the directions stretching from Northeast, to East, to Southeast, to South, and to Southwest because of our last couple of tips:
- Meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, but you are more likely to see meteors around 45 degrees away from the radiant which is located in the constellation of Orion.
- If you can locate the constellation of Perseus this may be a good location to focus on. Other good locations to focus on may be slightly to the right of the Pleiades star cluster (aka the Seven Sisters), just right of the constellation Ursa Major, and just in between the zodiacal constellations of Leo and Cancer.
We hope that these tips will help you catch some shooting stars! 😊
OTHER CELESTIAL TREATS TO LOOK OUT FOR
There are also quite a few other celestial treats to look out for during the night at this point in time including some incredible once in a lifetime comets:
- During the early evening of the 20th Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN may be observed in the constellation of Sagittarius. On the evening of the 21st R2 SWAN will have wandered slightly higher into the constellation of Aquila. Look towards the South-West just underneath the distinct asterism known as the Summer Triangle from darkness until around 11pm for a chance to view this comet.
Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon can be found in the constellation of Bootes the herdsman during the peak of the Orionid meteor shower. Look towards the West to North-West just above the bright star Arcturus from around 8pm to 11pm and towards the North-East in the early morning between 4am to 6am for a chance to view A6 Lemmon. A pair of binoculars or a telescope will help you in observing both of these comets.
- There are several other meteor showers active around this time too! As an extra meteor watching challenge try reverse-tracing the trajectories of the meteors you observe and see if you can recognise any that aren’t part of the Orionid meteor shower!
- The amazing ringed planet Saturn will be visible all night long. Saturn can be found in the constellation of Aquarius the water bearer - just below the great square of Pegasus.
- If you are observing during the morning look out for the bright planet Jupiter in the constellation of Gemini.
- The super bright planet Venus can also be spotted towards the eastern horizon during the early morning hours before sunrise.
- The glowing open star cluster the Pleiades (aka the Seven Sisters) can be seen in the constellation of Taurus.
- Be on the lookout for the International Space Station too! The ISS will make a brief but bright fly by just as the radiant for the Orionids reachest its highest point in the sky. Look for a fast moving bright point of light at around 20 degrees above the South-Eastern horizon at around 05:22 on the morning of the 21st, this is the International Space Station! If you happen to be out during the dawn twilight between 06:54 and 07:00 you will also have another chance to observe the ISS too!
These are just a few of the amazing sights that can be seen in our night skies at the moment.
WHAT ELSE IS IN THE NIGHT SKY THROUGHOUT OCTOBER?
If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen in the skies throughout October, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for October 2025.
GENERAL STARGAZING/METEOR SHOWER TIPS
• You don’t need a telescope or any special equipment to view meteors, just your eyes and a bit of patience.
• If you do own binoculars or a telescope, you may want to take a closer look at some of the amazing celestial treats that are currently visible in our night skies. Saturn with its majestic ring system, Jupiter with its great weather bands and great red spot, the Pleiades with its faint nebulous glow, the amazing Andromeda galaxy and the sparkling Hercules cluster all are spectacular to view with binoculars or a telescope.
• Find a safe, dark location with clear unobstructed views and as far away from streetlights as possible. The darker your location, the more meteors you will see. However, don’t worry too much if you can’t get somewhere dark, you should still see the brighter meteors.
• Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and you will see more meteors. Our eyes require time to adjust to low levels of light. Try not to look at bright lights (such as a phone) for around 15-30 minutes and this will allow you to see many more meteors. If you do require to use a torch, use one which emits red light as this interferes with your night vision much less than white light.
• Be mindful of other stargazers when using a torch, you don’t want to ruin other people’s meteor shower experience!
• You don’t need to know where the radiant for a meteor shower is to be able to view meteors but if you do, it can help. Once you’ve located the radiant in the sky, looking halfway between the horizon and the zenith (directly upwards), and 45 degrees from the radiant will improve your chances of viewing meteors (however, pay attention to the whole sky as they can appear anywhere). The closer to the radiant you look, the shorter the meteors will appear. The further away from the radiant you look, the longer they will appear.
• You can tell if a meteor belongs to a specific shower by tracing a line backwards from the direction it appeared to travel in across the sky. If this line leads you to the radiant’s location, you can tell that meteor belonged to that specific meteor shower.
• You might want to take a blanket to lay on or a chair to recline in, so your neck doesn’t get strained whilst looking up.
• If you head out, wrap up well! It can get quite chilly on a night, and if you are not prepared, you may end up being too cold to stay out and see any meteors. Bring a blanket to cover yourself in and a flask with a warm drink for extra comfort. ❄️🧤🧣
• You may wish to gather some of your friends and family to share this magical occasion too. You could always host a meteor watching party with music and drinks (but no bright lights!).
GOOD LUCK AND CLEAR SKIES
The Orionid meteor shower is one of the highlights of Autumn for many astronomers and night sky enthusiasts alike. Furthermore, with the Moon out of the way plus the two incredible once in a lifetime comets that will be about too, it should be an incredible show! We are looking forward to this year’s Orionid meteor shower and are super excited to have the chance to see some more amazing meteors. We can’t wait to see if we witness more amazing fireballs and we hope you all get to see some too!
As ever, interactions or shares are a great help, and we are eternally grateful for all your support.
Good luck everyone and clear skies!!! 💖